The result was that Freeman was benched a week ago and then released earlier today.

While there were certainly other factors that led to the divorce between the two sides, one issue may have been the lack of a long-term extension for the young quarterback who was to become a free agent after the season. The Bucs may have seen the numbers below and realized that Freeman was just no longer living up to the promise he showed earlier in his career and the cost was going to be too much.